News – SLA Embedded Librarian Caucushttp://embedded.sla1.org
Tue, 26 Feb 2019 15:43:10 +0000 en-US
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1 111710800George Peckham-Rooney Taking Over As Caucus Communications Leadhttp://embedded.sla1.org/george-peckham-rooney-taking-over-as-caucus-communications-lead/
http://embedded.sla1.org/george-peckham-rooney-taking-over-as-caucus-communications-lead/#respondThu, 14 Feb 2019 15:11:34 +0000http://embedded.sla1.org/?p=882Please welcome our new Communication Lead of the SLA Embedded Librarians Caucus George Peckham-Rooney, Data Analyst at Emory University. If you look back at the SLA Embedded Twitter Account, the first post is a share and comment from Nadine on a post George made from his personal twitter about their participation as panelists on the first Embedded Librarians Caucus webinar. George focuses on building and employing systems for capturing, analyzing and organizing information. He specializes in building focused taxonomies/ontologies for information retrieval, but has other professional interests that includes user experience design, information retrieval/research and knowledge management. Within that capacity he is adept at analyzing data and developing decision-supporting deliverables with an aptitude for enabling knowledge capture and leveraging it for increased value. He is a strong team player with ability to work independently and has a penchant for finding innovative solutions to problems.

Thank you to Nadine Anderson (University of Michigan-Dearborn) for her many years of service as Co-Convener & Communication Lead of the SLA Embedded Librarians Caucus. Nadine initially volunteered to be the Communications Chair for the caucus and then took on more responsibilities and became Co-Convener as a result. Her responsibilities included: coordinating webinars and conference proposals, panels and outings for the caucus; managing and writing content for this SLA Embedded website and blog; and keeping the SLA Embedded Twitter Account current.

]]>http://embedded.sla1.org/george-peckham-rooney-taking-over-as-caucus-communications-lead/feed/0882Get To Know Nykia Perez Kibler, the new Convenor of the SLA Embedded Librarians Caucushttp://embedded.sla1.org/get-to-know-nykia-perez-kibler-the-new-convenor-of-the-sla-embedded-librarians-caucus/
http://embedded.sla1.org/get-to-know-nykia-perez-kibler-the-new-convenor-of-the-sla-embedded-librarians-caucus/#respondFri, 25 Jan 2019 16:25:40 +0000http://embedded.sla1.org/?p=874 This month, Nykia Perez Kibler becomes the new Convenor of the SLA Embedded Librarians Caucus. Nadine Anderson sat down with Nykia, who chatted with us about her work, what she likes to do for fun outside of work, and her plans for the Caucus.

Nadine Anderson: What is your job title?Nykia Perez Kibler: My current title is Director of Information Management.

Nadine: Where do you work and how long have you worked there?Nykia: I have worked in this role with ever evolving titles and responsibilities at the the University of Pennsylvania’s Population Studies Center since 2001.

Nadine: What are your main job duties? What groups are you embedded in?Nykia: My main contribution is to assist in the facilitation of research and scholarly output by (1) maintaining data about our researchers that can be repurposed for grant applications; (2) providing research assistance in the form of literature searches, proofreading, or fact checking/data gathering for either manuscripts or grant applications; (3) disseminating the results of our researchers scholarly activities (publications, honors, awards, news appearances) via our website, working paper series, social media and tracking publication metrics; and (4) building websites, designing graphics and documentation for conferences, working groups, and research projects.

Nadine: What do you love about what you do?Nykia: It is not possible to be bored because there is always a lot of work to do and it is always varied. I am not sure how I would fair in a position with a narrowly focused role. The variety of needs and skills required to meet the needs of our researchers challenges me to learn new things and to creatively solve problems, which is an ideal environment for me.

Nadine: What do you like to do for fun outside of work?Nykia: This Fall I signed up to become an adult Girl Scout co-leader for my daughter’s troop which has been fun. I have met some interesting people and get to spend more time outside which I need to do more of plus I get to spend quality time with my daughter. Bird watching and visiting public gardens is something I do for fun as well.

Nadine: What is the one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?Nykia: I am an ISA Certified Arborist and co-lead a volunteer based community nonprofit that educates and empowers people to care for the urban environment primarily by planting and caring for street trees.

Nadine: What are the key things that have made you successful as an embedded librarian?Nykia: Trying to keep abreast of the researchers projects and interests of our scholars is helpful for learning about where their research is going and about what services might be useful. Finding ways to accomplish tasks with out of the box solutions when necessary to meet needs or to solve a particular problem. Being a “yes” person and finding your niche and the ways you might be able to add value to a project with minimal effort on the part of the researchers. Flexibility and adaptability have been essential to me and my team and not getting tied to a particular way of doing something or particular services we’ve devised can afford new and useful perspectives to ensure people benefit from our skills. Asking questions and not being afraid to try something different can be helpful as well.

Nadine: What will your main priorities be as Convenor/Communications Lead of the SLA Embedded Librarians Caucus?Nykia: I am hoping to help caucus members get the support they need from SLA and the caucus by enabling programming that will suit their interests and that will ultimately be useful for them with their input and involvement of course.

I’m happy to report that Nykia Perez Kibler will serve as Convenor of the SLA Embedded Librarians Caucus starting in January 2019. Nykia is currently Director of Information Management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Population Studies Center, where she has been a full time special academic and embedded librarian since 2001. She has been a member of the Caucus since 2016, and within SLA she is also active in the Academic Division. Beyond SLA, she’s a member of APLIC (formerly known as the Association for Population/Family Planning/Reproductive Health Libraries and Information Centers – International), and currently serves as its treasurer. Nykia emerged from a process of discussion with several Caucus members who responded to a call for volunteers last summer as the person best positioned to take over leadership at this time. I want to thank everyone who responded to the call, and especially to Nykia for agreeing to take on this responsibility.

I’m writing to update you on the caucus’s planning for the 2019 SLA Conference and invite your participation.

While the search for a new caucus convenor continues, I’ve set the wheels in motion to build on our success at this year’s conference and ensure that we’re included in next year’s program.

Currently, I’m thinking about the following ideas:

Burnout and the Embedded Librarian. Successful embedded librarians generally wind up with more work than they can handle, and during peak periods the workload can really get out of hand. What are some strategies for managing this problem, and making sure that you don’t end up as a victim of your success?

Embedded Librarians Teaching Information / Media Literacy. By virtue of their embedded role, librarians are able to customize their instruction to the needs of different disciplines. What are the similarities and differences of some information literacy curricula across disciplines?

Solo Librarians and Embedded Librarianship. Are the principles of embedded librarianship relevant for solos? When are they, and when aren’t they? How are some solos leveraging the embedded approach to strengthen their role?

The due date for proposals is October 15. So, in the next 2 weeks, please respond to the following:

What’s your reaction to these themes?

What other ideas would you recommend exploring?

Would you be willing to take part as a:

Speaker

Moderator / planner for one program

Conference program planner for the caucus

Thanks! I look forward to your response.

–Dave Shumaker
Caucus Convenor

]]>http://embedded.sla1.org/fall-caucus-update-from-david-shumaker/feed/0833Wednesday, June 13 is Embedded Librarians Day at the SLA Annual Conference!http://embedded.sla1.org/wednesday-june-13-is-embedded-librarians-day-at-the-sla-annual-conference/
http://embedded.sla1.org/wednesday-june-13-is-embedded-librarians-day-at-the-sla-annual-conference/#respondFri, 08 Jun 2018 15:07:30 +0000http://embedded.sla1.org/?p=798The Embedded Librarians Caucus is sponsoring two programs at this year’s SLA Annual Conference, which will be held back to back on our Embedded Librarians Day, Wed., June 13:

10:15-11:30 a.m. (Room 339-340): Choosing Your Partners: Strategic Choices for Successful Librarians. Our speakers will be Nadine Anderson, Behavioral Sciences Librarian. University of Michigan Dearborn; Barbara Kahn-Aitken, Senior Research Analyst, Coca-Cola Corporation; and Joel Scheuher, Business Reference Librarian, University of Michigan, Ross School of Business, and formerly at GM. They’ll discuss how to apply market segmentation strategies and political insight to figure out where in the organization to concentrate your efforts so that you can maximize your value and achieve long-lasting success.

I hope you’ll join the conversation with these outstanding speakers. See you in Baltimore!

This panel session will be a discussion between session participants and three embedded librarians, who will present three distinct models of embedded librarianship, representing a broad spectrum of disciplines, audiences, and goals. Participants will learn strategies for implementing embedded librarianship to engage different campus communities and leveraging it to demonstrate their value by contributing to the overall goals at their institution.

Panelists will share their strategies for leveraging embedded librarianship, including:

“don’t wait for the invitation: crash the party””

“forget the elevator speech: focus on troubleshooting”

“proactively engage your audience: flaunt your expertise”

Each panelist will briefly discuss their experience with leveraging embedded librarianship to contribute to the overall goals of their institution:

Jean Song, in a Health Sciences/Medical program, proactively interacting with faculty in order to partner in research analysis including successfully receiving grant funding to support existing grant funded projects or providing analysis on research projects such as bibliometric investigation.

Nadine Anderson, in a Behavioral Sciences program, proactively working with faculty on issues with undergraduate research and critical thinking skills (or lack thereof) and becoming part of the solution by partnering with faculty on educational projects and a credit course integrated into their courses and curriculum

Joel Scheuher, in a Business program, collaborating directly with graduate students as a member of their action based learning teams, contributing as research experts to solve real-world challenges

]]>http://embedded.sla1.org/webinargettinginontheconversation/feed/4723Join Us for Embedded Librarianship Day at the SLA 2017 Conference!http://embedded.sla1.org/embeddedlibday/
http://embedded.sla1.org/embeddedlibday/#respondMon, 08 May 2017 20:33:16 +0000http://embedded.sla.org/?p=709Are you going to this year’s SLA Conference? Join the SLA Embedded Librarians Caucus for our Embedded Librarianship Day on Sunday, June 18th at the SLA 2017 Conference. First up in the afternoon will be our Knowledge Cafe, round table discussions about embedded librarianship topics, issues, and experiences. Let us know if you have any suggestions for topics of discussion. We will continue the discussion over dinner in the evening. This is a free event, but ticketed, so make sure you sign up for it ahead of time. Here are instructions on how to sign up for ticketed events at the SLA 2017 Conference.

Email David Shumaker (shumaker@cua.edu) or Nadine Anderson (nfanders@umich.edu) with your questions and suggestions for topics of discussion. We look forward to seeing you in Phoenix!

]]>http://embedded.sla1.org/embeddedlibday/feed/0709SLA Professional Competencies at Library 2.017 Conferencehttp://embedded.sla1.org/sla-professional-competencies-at-library-2-017-conference/
http://embedded.sla1.org/sla-professional-competencies-at-library-2-017-conference/#respondTue, 28 Mar 2017 23:37:13 +0000http://embedded.sla.org/?p=706On Wednesday, March 29th, the SJSU School of Information and ALA are holding a free online mini-conference: Library 2.017: Expertise, Competencies, and Careers. Our Embededded Librarians Caucus Convenor David Shumaker will be one of the panelists at this mini-conference, discussing SLA professional competencies.

Click here for more information and to register for the mini-conference (it’s free!).

We’ve received notice that SLA has delayed termination of email lists to August 1, and also changed the policy for SLA Connect communities to permit SLA members to have access to communities they aren’t official members of. Unit leaders have to make some decisions about how their units will implement the policy. I’ll send out more updates as we get into the decisions and implementation.

–Dave Shumaker

Caucus Convenor

]]>http://embedded.sla1.org/update-termination-of-embedded-librarians-caucus-email-list/feed/0680Termination of Embedded Librarians Caucus email listhttp://embedded.sla1.org/termination-of-embedded-librarians-caucus-email-list/
http://embedded.sla1.org/termination-of-embedded-librarians-caucus-email-list/#respondThu, 23 Jun 2016 17:49:49 +0000http://embedded.sla.org/?p=677As you may know, the Embedded Librarians Caucus email list, along with all other email lists hosted by SLA, will cease to operate on July 1.

It is being replaced by the Embedded Librarians community on SLA Connect, the Association’s new messaging and collaboration platform. SLA Connect has the capability to push messages out to subscribers’ email, which functions much like the listserv software.

The catch is that you must be a paid-up member of the Caucus in order to participate in the SLA Connect community. As currently configured, SLA Connect does not allow non-Caucus members to subscribe to our Caucus. This applies both to SLA members who are not Caucus members, and to non-SLA members.

If you are a Caucus member, you should have received a message from me, sent from SLA Connect, yesterday or earlier today. If you didn’t receive that message, and believe you should be listed as a member, you should contact Natasha Kenner at SLA, nkenner@sla.org , who can check your membership status.

I have asked SLA to reconsider the current policy, and permit us to include non-members in our Connect community. While I’d like to have everyone join the Caucus and support us officially, I recognize there are a number of reasons why someone might want to receive our messages without joining, and I think we should be flexible enough to permit that.

While we await further developments, if you aren’t a caucus member, you still have a couple ways to keep in touch with us:

This website (http://embedded.sla.org) is not affected by the change. We’ll continue to post updates here; you can subscribe to receive notifications of new posts by entering your email address under the Subscribe to Blog via Email heading in the right sidebar.

Our Twitter account will also continue as before. Follow us @SLAEmbedded

Please let me know if you have any questions about all of this. Thanks for your continued support of the Caucus!